Sampling The New Applebee's Menu

  • Friday, September 28, 2007
  • Janet Wilson
Applebee's at 2343 Shallowford Village. Click to enlarge.
Applebee's at 2343 Shallowford Village. Click to enlarge.
photo by Janet Wilson

Wayne and I decided to check out the heavily advertised new menu at Applebee’s. We went to the location at 2343 Shallowford Village. As most everyone knows, we have never been Applebee’s fans so we were hoping the new menu would be an improvement. In the past, I have never really found anything that said, “order me”.

One of the new Tyler Florence menu items is the Bruschetta Burger – 100% Angus burger crowned with zesty pesto sauce and bruschetta mix, set on thick wedges of mozzarella. It is served on grilled focaccia with garlic fries sprinkled with Parmesan ($7.99).

There are several salads to choose from, such as Blackened Chicken Salad ($8.49), Grilled Shrimp ‘N Spinach Salad ($8.99) and a Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad ($8.99). All the salads can be ordered in a half-size (with the price adjusted accordingly). I love this idea where restaurants are allowing you to order menu items in half-sizes.

One of the new steaks on the menu is New York Strip with Roasted Garlic & Mushrooms ($16.99).

Wayne decided to select from their “Ultimate Trios” menu. There was a list of tempting items from which you can choose any three. He chose the Mini-Bacon cheeseburgers (you get two, maybe a tiny bit larger than a Krystal) – 100% Angus beef topped with melted cheddar cheese and Applewood smoked bacon; Steak Quesadilla Towers – flame grilled sirloin steak slices topped with caramelized onions, pico de gallo, red and green peppers, feta and cheddar cheeses, rolled in a grilled chipotle tortilla and served with sour cream and pico de gallo; and Dynamite Shrimp – shrimp coated in crispy panko bread crumbs and tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce. The price was $13.10 (I believe that included tax).

I ordered the Roasted Garlic & Asiago Chicken – grilled seasoned chicken breast topped with a savory roasted garlic Asiago cheese sauce, fresh tomatoes and basil and served with garlic mashed potatoes and seasoned vegetable ($9.99). I had enough left to take home for another meal.

We both felt this was one of the few times we can actually say we enjoyed our food at Applebee’s and might possibly want to go back to try some of their other items.

Everything was quite good and I definitely would recommend the chicken. It was moist, not overcooked, and is worth a taste by any chicken lovers. And the prices were reasonable.

Applebee’s also has several pasta and seafood dishes, as well as ribs and fajitas. I thought the Crispy Buttermilk Shrimp ($10.49) and Parmesan Tilapia ($9.99) both sounded tempting.

If you are watching your weight, they have a special Weight Watchers section, even giving you the number of points to count against your diet plan.

They are also a good deal for lunch! I noticed their Pick’N Pair Lunch Combo menu where you can choose any two for $5.99, Monday through Friday (until 3:00 PM). There are four soups and four salads to make your pairing. For $1 more you can get a sandwich or pasta rather than either the soup or salad.

If you haven’t been to Applebee’s in a while, you might want to check out their new menu – give it a try. I’m pretty sure I am going to take advantage of that lunch menu.

Applebee’s is open Monday through Thursday from 11:00 AM until 1:00 AM and on Friday and Saturday until 2:00 AM. Sunday they close at 12:00 AM.

READER PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK:

“Restaurants (and banks, etc.) that are smoke-free now that always have employees hanging around outside smoking that you have to walk through. Responsible managers would tell them to leave it at home. Will this be more of an eyesore when all are smoke-free?”

We look forward to receiving your pet peeves.

cdojanet@chattanoogadineout.com

P.S. You know from reading our reviews, we enjoy Lobster and Clam Chowder. We recently went on vacation and made several stops along the way, experiencing both. I just wanted to say that if any of you are ever in Kennebunkport, Maine, there’s a very small placed called Bartley’s Dockside – it’s on the water, right at the bridge where you walk from Kennebunk into Kennebunkport. They have the BEST Clam Chowder (or, according to the menu, Clam Chowda), that we’ve ever tasted!

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